Leo daft



(No Model.)

L. DAPT.

INSULATOR FOR TRACKS.

Patented June 23, 18,85.

N. PETERS. mwLiihogrlphlr. wmxnmn, 0.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEO DAFT, OF GREENVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

INSULATOR FOR TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,631, dated June 23,1885.

Application filed March 9, 1885. (No model.)

I ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEO DAF'I, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,residing at Greenville, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulators forTracks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rails or conductors for conveying the electriccurrent in electric railways, signaling systems, and the like, and hasfor its object to improve the insulation of such rails or conductors;and to this end my invention consists in the means for insulating suchrails or conductors, as more particularly hereinafter described, wherebythe rail is effectually insulated. The insulators are simply and cheaplyconstructed, and are preserved from the action of the elements and theinsulated rails or conductors are especially suited for surface roads orother exposed positions.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of aninsulated rail embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionthrough the rail, showing one form of insulator. Fig. 3 is a similarview, showing another form of insulator.

Upon the sleepers of the track are placed the shoes A, usually made ofiron, and secured to the shoes in any suitable manner are the standardsB, of some insulating material.

Connected to the standards are the caps 0, having hoods or curtains 0,extending down ward around their sides, to form a protection to theinsulating material from the elements.

Upon the upper face of the caps are placed the rails D, and they aresecured in position by means of the bolts E entering the cap and havingheavy washers F, which bear upon the upwardlyextending projections C ofthe caps and upon the feet D of the rails D, thus holding the railsecurely in position, and at the same time admitting of ready removal,and rendering the work of repairs easy of accomplishment.

The insulators B may be of various forms and materials. In Fig. 2 theyare shown as consisting of blocks or standards of insulating material,the lower ends of which are secured to the shoes A by being forced intothe (love tail slots and the upper ends fitting into sockets or recessesin the under side of the cap 0, and the cap and standard may be furthersecured together by some mechanical device, as

the screw G.

In Fig. 3 the standard 13 is shown as being an integral part of theshoe, and the insulating material is placed between the standard and thesocket of the cap.

Various other forms of connecting the cap and shoe and insulating themfrom each other will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, andI do not limit my invention to any particular construction.

The insulating material may be, as in the case shown in Fig. 2, of woodsaturated with resin, pitch, shellac, and the like; or it may be of hardrubber, glass, porcelain, vulcanized fiber, &c.

In Fig. 3 the insulator is shown as of some flexible material, and thestandard is screwthreaded and tapered so as to permit the forcing of theflexible insulating material into the corrugated sides of the socket ofthe cap.

The cap is preferably made of cast iron 5 but it may be of any suitablematerial, conducting or non-conducting, that is adapted for the purposefor which the rail is intended.

From this construction it will be seen that while the rail is stronglyand firmly supported the insulating material is protected from theelements by the hood or curtain of the cap, and the entrance of moistureis prevented,

thereby insuring a good insulation of the rails.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In an insulator for electricrailway rails, thecombination, with a shoe, of a curtained cap adapted to support, andhaving means for securing the rail thereto, and insulating materialinterposed between the shoe and cap,

, substantially as described.

2. In an insulator for electricrailway rails,

the combination, with a shoe, of an insulating standard supported on theshoe, and a cap having a downwardly-extending hood or ourtain andprovided with a socket into which the insulating standard enters,substantially as described.

3. The combination of a shoe having a dovetailed slot, aninsulatingstandard secured to the shoe, and a cap secured to thestandard and having a hood or curtain and adapted to support the railupon its upper surface, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEO DAFT.

Witnesses:

JNo. N. BRUNS, XV. H. J ONES.

